Germany, with some other countries following are shutting down all nuclear power plants. A main reason for this is because of the danger if posses (which Japan has experienced already) and because the many countries are looking for different renewable resources of energy. I understand that Japan is having an energy shortage, so they have tried conserving the use of energy as much as possible. However, when there are people who suffered from an explosion at a nuclear power plant, I would hope they would keep the country's citizens in their best interest now, and compensate them for their loss or injuries. Also, I do not think they should re open any of the nuclear power plants for long term use. Japan is known to be a major earthquake prone zone. It is very likely that one day the entire island could be destroyed. If I were Japan, having already experience major devastation with the hurricane/earthquake in March, I would do everything possible to build and rebuild safe energy sources, not ones that could cause more devastation.

It seems like Japan cannot do anything about the monopolies. The companies have no incentives to lower costs, so no other private companies can compete and customers have to pay very high prices. In addition to no incentives, the power-producing companies and part-producing companies have close relations and give each other very good deals. Because they are so close, any other company that tries to compete will be out of luck if they need parts; the power-producing monopolies have created monopolies out of the part-producing companies. The only way that these monopolies will end is if the government steps in and does something about it; and the government very well should. This would create more jobs and potentially boost the economy.

Nuclear power is such a political taboo. I do not think the Japanese voters lack confidence in nuclear power. Even all nuclear power plants are earthquake magnitude 10 proof, accidents still can happen. The Japanese simply lost faith in how the government and TEPCO can handle the crisis. Even there are thousands more of regulations enacted, the enforcement is the main problem, as we can see the Japanese government and TEPCO can be so corrupt. Communist USSR was so corrupt in 1986, so as the democratic Japanese government in 2011.

The idle reactors need to be restarted, at least for short-term benefits. The underlying issue here is the lack of regulation. The government needs to step in and boost the confidence in nuclear power by laying down more regulations for nuclear power that will be enforced. This would show that the flaws in nuclear power plants are human errors, not problems with the technology. Japan, as a leader in green technology, should be aware of this. Additionally, a new approach should be taken with TEPCO. Since politicians seem to think the energy monopoly is safe in the sense that there is always a stable energy supply, the government should offer incentives to TEPCO to incorporate green energy. This merger would create jobs, encourage further research into green energy, and be profitable in the long run.

Although nuclear power is unpopular right now, it is a huge source of power and jobs. If Japan wants to move to a new source of energy they will have to move away from nuclear very slowly. It will be hard to get support for returning to nuclear energy because of the unstable conditions from natural disasters Japan faces. As of right now it is the best solution to keep Japan from falling behind other countries from a lack of power.

I can't believe it took them nine weeks to finally disclose the information about the nuclear meltdown. As for waiting to see if the earthquake did damage the reactor, I would not be surprised if it did. Japan will probably need to look into alternative sources of energy since it is an earthquake prone zone. Lives should not be at risk to get nuclear power. I'm glad Japan is conserving energy, but the utilities should not be charged at a flat rate. Residents won't know how much energy they are using unless they see that using more will affect their bill.

Japan is stuck in a difficult situation concerning energy. If the Japanese want to eventually move away from nuclear energy they will have to invest more in alternative energy sources. If the country can't invest, then it may have to stay with nuclear power for a while, because otherwise it would be too much of a risk for the country to try to wean off the nuclear power.

After having a major natural disaster, you would think Japan would get moving on an alternative energy source. No matter how quickly they need the power up and running, their safety is more important. It is completely necessary that they get moving on the situation though because people are suffering from this. Hopefully they get it together, and think of something quick.

Although Japan unfortunately had to have such a tragedy occur, it took such an event to open eyes as to the necessity of transitioning away from nuclear power. Other countries should try harder to imitate Japan's initiatives that it looks to employ because the misfortune that occurred in Japan really could happen anywhere. The rest of the world needs to use that as a wake up call and fix the problem before it causes a problem.

While I do believe that Japan needs to begin looking for alternative energy sources, it is stuck with nuclear for the time being. Therefore, it is TEPCO's responsibility to make sure that this energy is available. I also feel that TEPCO should know that Japan is a magnet for natural disasters and be prepared for them to occur. TEPCO just seemed to handle the whole situation poorly, especially when they withheld information from their consumers. They do really need to step up their game to earn back some trust and respect.

first of all, it is even suprising that japan is still holding up, eventhough japan is known for its economic power. but after the whole nation was shaken, japan is still doing great job trying to get back to the previous state.
however, nuclear is dangerous, but a country, like japan, need nuclear power. japan rarely have any natural resources. at the same time, the population is too big in number to support it all. it will be great cost loss to support the whole nation with fossile fuels. despite the fact that the nuclear power is dangerous, it is clean, and cheap. the cleaness help with the cut on budget to pay international carbon emission plaintiffs. however, this is a chance to replace some of the nuclear reactors with renewable sources. this is chance to invest on tidal energy, wind, etc. this can bring the country's reputation to higher place.

It seems likes it's been a bad decade for nuclear power, even though its a relatively clean source of power and can produce a lot of energy the perceived risk it carries stops it from being more wide spread. Its quite odd considering America has never had a single death due to Nuclear power, but the disasters at Fukushima (the current one) and Chernobyl keep everyone on edge. I think that there are definitely valid concerns, especially for Japan, which is geographically prone to a large number of natural disasters.

That said I think for other countries Nuclear power is likely a safe form of energy and a sound investment, but I highly doubt that makes a difference now.

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan seems to have added to the already out of control situation regarding power/energy. Their citizens are not only within restrictions on energy usage, but the price is sky high. While Japan has realized they need to focus on alternative ways to produce energy, it doesn't seem like that will happen in the near future. Without the government creating more competition there is little chance for a solution with the present policies in place.

I think Japan really needs to find a replacement for nuclear energy.
Since Japan is a quake-prone area, the next earthquake maybe even stronger. If they continue to use the nuclear energy, it is going to be a nightmare if any other disater comes up. Also, I am impressed by how united they are.

What does everyone think of a prepaid metering system where households would have complete control over their utility bills and could prepay for electricity, water and gas online or with your phone while at the same time, not having to worry about the large energy companies inaccurately billing you?

I know that there are many alternative energy sources, but since its creation nuclear power seems to be planet Earth's best bet once our fossil fuels are depleted. I understand that Japan is scared because of the meltdowns, but I think that Prime Minister Noda needs to rethink his decision to reduce Japan's reliance on nuclear energy in the long term. He needs to realize that the disasters in Japan have triggered other countries, like Germany, to also reduce their reliance on nuclear power. I think that if Japan could put on a brave face and continue their use of nuclear power it would be best for the world because it would show other countries that it is still okay to use nuclear energy.

I think that Japan should definitely reopen their nuclear power plants, at least for the time being. Nuclear power is a tough thing to deal with because other then the nuclear waste that is created (and I am not belittling the gravity of storing this waste), there are almost no emissions that are detrimental to the environment. Nuclear power is very clean energy in comparison to other power sources such as coal and gas. But this of course must be weighed with the danger of earthquakes and tsunamis that are much more likely to happen in Japan. I think that if technology could be developed to make "earthquake proof" reactors that could stand much more abuse then the current ones being used, it would really benefit Japan and they could keep the same power source that they have and not have to do a complete overhaul on there energy sources.

This year, energy has been such a touchy topic. Clean energy is a noble goal, but it is difficult to produce large amounts of energy with renewable resources that give little. Nuclear energy is right in the middle of the debate. It is a resource that can give much and need little to do so. The problem is the difficulties that come with harnessing it in a safe manner. TEPCO failed to do so. Unlike three mile island, the problem with the nuclear plant was not contained. Instead, it grew into a massive problem. The problem didn't stop there though. It had ramifications upon all of nuclear energy. It hurt the industry in a way that it may never be able to recover. Companies may not be able to start any nuclear plants. Which is sad to see since there is much potential to use nuclear energy in an effective and safe manner.

In my opinion the useage of nuclear power in a region where nuclear catastrophies like tsunamis and earthquakes are common is not only unthoughtful but even irresponsible!
After the last disaster in march the Japan government should have reacted and developed a plan to slowly let dangerous power sources go and make space for new technologies, like the German did with a plan for the next ten years.
I think the desaster of March is beneath Tschernobyl only one signal showing the danger of nuclear power and the importance of changing to clean and safe energy.

The way TEPCO dealt with the crisis reminds me how BP acted during the U.S. oil spill last summer. They didn't give out enough information about what was going on especially to people who needed to know like the PM. They also seem to be taking a painstakingly long time to fix the situation. The whole country is now in bad condition because of this so the sooner they can get their act together the better it will be.

I understand that the Japanese are hesitant to continue using nuclear power but the reality is it would take a lot of time to switch to another source right away. They need to get the reactors working again as soon as they can and once that is dealt with, hopefully their government will start looking into other options for their country.